“Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars.”

French novelist, 19th century

Gustave Flaubert was a French novelist of the 19th century. He is best known for Madame Bovary, first published in 1857, and for the letters gathered in his Correspondence. He was widely regarded as a leading figure in literary realism in France and beyond, and as a writer who cared intensely about style and aesthetics. His work and correspondence helped define his reputation, and Guy de Maupassant was among the writers he mentored.